Surgeries at ambulatory centers are quicker and cheaper than at hospitals

A new study says ambulatory centers perform surgery more efficiently than hospitals and could allow the nation's health care providers to keep pace with demand. The study, published in the May issue of the journal Health Affairs, was authored by health economists Elizabeth Munnich of the University of Louisville and Stephen Parente of the University of Minnesota. The two analyzed data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for 52,000 surgical visits at 437 facilities over four years, a news release said. They found that surgery center patients spent 25 percent less time undergoing outpatient surgery than hospital patients.